That Man
"That Man" is a prominent character and the central antagonist in the ''Guilty Gear'' universe, though he takes on a more supportive role during the events of Gear Xrd -SIGN-. He is the creator of the Gears and a sought-out target by most of the Guilty Gear cast. He is also knowledgeable in most of the events taking place in the series' continuity, dating all the way back to the Crusades, although other information is currently unknown. Prior to Guilty Gear 2: Overture, he has never been involved in any canonical fight. He does, however, show incredible fighting prowess and power; Sol Badguy and Baiken both have attempted to do harm, only to have their attacks repelled with no apparent effort on the Man's part. He was also able to restrain I-No within a stasis barrier when she acted outside his orders as punishment, and can withstand being in the Backyard without any strain. He manages to nullify Sol's Tyrant Rave with a minor barrier in Vastedge, and suffers no damage whatsoever when Sol used Dragon Install to fight him in Overture. It is frequently implied that That Man is one of the most powerful characters within the series. Character Design That Man's face and body are never seen, as they are usually covered in cloaks. However, one artbook showed him with pure white hair and a normal build. He has three main servants: Raven, I-No, and an unknown third one, who has appeared in a few pictures of the novels, manga, and character artbooks, though shadowed and obscured. This third servant is later revealed to be Jack-O. Personality Story Background That Man has been in every Guilty Gear game to date except for ''Isuka''. Together with two other scientists, Frederick and Aria, he spearheaded the Gear Project. In every game, he has the same profile: the original creator of the Gears that seeks redemption for causing the Holy Order War, as the calamity was not his intention; the Gear known as Justice rebelled, believing that all humans were beneath the Gear race. This could also explain why That Man did his best to rile Sol Badguy up in one of Sol's endings in Guilty Gear XX. The menace that he referred to has yet to be discovered, but there may be a connection between the new threat and the series' other antagonists: Justice, Judgment, Valentine, and Ramlethal Valentine. He stated in Overture that the death of Aria was both his and Frederick's fault, even though Aria was able to survive to her TP infection in the end for unknown reasons, implying that this probably has to do with her becoming the first weapon for humanity decades ago known as Justice and Frederick's disappearance until much later. On the other hand, as revealed in Xrd's Story Mode, it appears that he and Chronus already knew each other, but whether that relationship is more deeper than just a war for world domination (at least according to Chronus) is yet to be known. ''Guilty Gear X'' In Sol's third ending, a conversation between That Man and one of his servants is seen, in which That Man cryptically says "To think there was a daughter... most interesting". It is revealed in the Drama CD ''Side Black'' that it is a reference to Justice being Dizzy's mother.' ''Guilty Gear XX'' In Sol's first ending, he appears after Sol defeats I-No. That Man greets Sol and Sol attempts to strike him down. However, That Man blocks his attack and counters with an explosive blast. He warns Sol that a menace will soon appear on Earth that will make the Crusades seem like a dim memory. He states that he will need Sol when the time comes to confront this threat. ''Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus'' After I-No escapes her confinement for her activities in Guilty Gear XX Midnight Carnival, That Man, Raven and Anji Mito attempt to set a trap for her. ''Guilty Gear 2: Overture'' That Man was fought as a boss when Sol reached the gate of the Backyard. During the battle, That Man seemed to be testing Sol and informing him about Valentine's intentions. Despite transforming into his evolved Dragon Install, Sol was unable to harm him and was defeated. After the fight with Valentine, That Man approached Sol again. He revealed that Valentine was involved with "a Merciless Apocalypse", an event that Sol is to take part in. With That Man's help, Sol was able to return to the real world and reunite with the others. In the last scene of the story, there is a conversation held between That Man and Raven, in where it was revealed that Valentines just like the one Sol destroyed are being made everyday. ''Guilty Gear Vastedge XT'' That Man appears in Harden Fort to confront and fight Sol, though his reasons for doing so are unknown. ''Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-'' That Man comes into contact with Axl Low, who possesses a coded message from the Original Man/Sage, though its contents are unknown. He later collaborates with Dr. Paradigm in order to dismantle the Cradle and halt the Conclave's movements. However, he is unable to pierce through Absolute Defense Felion without Sol's help. He implements the Schwarzschild Radial Limit via channeling the Backyard to create a pocket universe which, combined with the power of Sol's Junkyard Dog MK III and his massive strength, allowing them to disable the barrier. That Man tries to prevent Justice, who was encased with the Cradle, from escaping to the Backyard, but ends up being obstructed by Bedman, who pulls him into his Nightmare Theater. Powers & Abilities While he is immeasurably powerful, due to his placid and seemingly benign nature, he rarely engages in direct combat, which leaves the full scope of his abilities mostly unknown. However, he has revealed some of his abilities in Guilty Gear 2: Overture and Guilty Gear Vastedge XT. He is able to conjure glyph barriers with the capability of dispersing both physical and magical attacks, rendering himself almost invulnerable. He can alternatively make himself intangible. He is also the only human, aside from the Original Man, who can withstand the Backyard's dense pressure of information without strain or effort. He uses a large quill-like blade to 'write' runic symbols in the air for different magical effects, such as immobilizing a target or creating an energy blade in the shape of a crucifix. He can also release a myriad of magical blasts, including slicing energy waves, energy balls, and large beams of light. He can also materialize two massive devices known as 'Proteus Universe' to fire intense beams of energy. It is also suggested that he has incredible strength, as he managed to block Sol's sword thrust with his bare hands in Guilty Gear XX Midnight Carnival. In addition, he is capable of enchanting others with magic, such as protection against the pressure of the Backyard and even flight. Musical Themes *The Man (Guilty Gear 2: Overture) Trivia *It is revealed in his official short story that he has been slowly reversing his age. His voice sounded like a middle aged man in Accent Core, while he seemed to be much younger in Overture, Vastedge XT, and ''-SIGN-''. *Sin and That Man share the same English voice actor, Yuri Lowenthal who voices Bedman in Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- . *Ironically, That Man also shares his Japanese voice with Ragna the Bloodedge, one of the main protagonists of Arc System Works' other fighting game series, BlazBlue, and the counterpart of Sol Badguy. *That Man's third servant was said to be a secret player that will be revealed in future installments, as Daisuke Ishiwatari stated in an interview in the Guilty Gear 2 Material Collection guidebook, and later when Guilty Gear Xrd: -REVELATOR- was announced a new secret character under the name of Jack-O was confirmed to be the identity of the other servant of That Man. *In Guilty Gear Vastedge XT, That Man is shown carrying a tome similar in appearance to the one the Sage possessed that contained a compiliation of all the knowledge he obtained about the Backyard. Whether this is the same tome or is a coincidence is unknown. *In previous games, it was speculated that That Man could be the Pope of Rome, according to Justice's final words in Ky's ending on the first game, as well as Raven calling him "Holiness" many times. However, this was proven to be wrong in Xrd. Still, he is considered as one of two trump cards ( the other being his old friend, Sol) to put an end to Conclave's reign into using Gears as weapons of destruction. Ggxxr_cs2_th.png|''Guilty Gear XX ♯Reload'' Portrait That_Man_Portrait.png|''Guilty Gear XX ♯Reload'' Portrait 2 95.jpg|''Guilty Gear 2: Overture'' Concept Artwork That Man Story.jpg|'That Man's' Story Illustration That Man & his servants Artwork.png|'That Man' Artwork File:Ggvxt-that-man.jpg| Guilty Gear Vastedge XT Character Art File:That_Man.jpg| |} Navigation Category:Guilty Gear Characters Category:Males Category:Non-Playable Characters Category:Bosses Category:Gear Project Team Category:Villains Category:Guilty Gear 2 Characters